Terminal housing for luminous tubes



March 28, 1939.

F. E. MONTROY TERMINAL HOUSING FOR LUMINOUS TUBES Filed Aug. 30, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VE N TOR QM WJW? I March 28, 1939. I T 2,152,558

TERMINAL HOUSING FOR LUMINOUS TUBES I Filed Aug. 50, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Pa tas Mar. 2a, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I 2,152,558 'raamar. nousmo FOB ununvous mas Frank Edward Montroy, Los Angela, Calif. I Application sum so, 1931, Serial No. 101,033' towns. (or. 173-428) provide a contact spring arrangement which will 10 be secure against turning over and jambing or snapping'out of position under pressure of an elec-' 'trode inserted at an angle, while providing a firmbut 'light contact over a considerable range of movement. V 7

l Luminous tubes for electric signs are commonly formedby hand in conformity with sheet patterns and are subject to considerable variation. It frequently happens that the center to center distance of the electrodes of a particular tube 20 is too little or too great or that one or both electrodes incline from the perpendicular with the plane of the tube. In such cases trouble is to be expected in making contact with the contact.

springs in the housings. Similar trouble arises as from irregularities in the mounting of the tubes on the sign. body and from spring in thebody itself due to mechanical flexibility. I

It is required of contact springs that they meet the electrode caps over the whole extent of the so housing bore and have considerable range of movement while exerting the minimum of pressure against the electrode to avoid straining the glass. These conditions call tor springs of relatively light wire with wide convolutions and with the 35 end finished in a flat spiral to provide the contact surface. Such springs very readily turn over and iamb. In housings having continuous-bore they often iamb against the electrode and the housing wall. In housings having wide interior openings so they often snap out through the opening when the electrode enters at an odd angle and tail to make contact with the electrode cap.

In accordance with my invention the spring is held in position by guiding means which engage 45 each convolution along one side of the spring thereby eliminating all dependenceonthe housing walls and making possible the openest oi constructions. It is an object of this construction to engage each convolution with a three or a four 59 point contact along a limited arc of the turn. The slideway provided by the guide having room for only one wire. it is not possible for the convolutions to pack overeach other and jamb. I have found that if a spring is thus retained along one a side no other guide is necessary insofar as the purposes of this service are concerned, and it will compress and expand freely and adjust itself; readily tomeet the contact caps of electrodes inserted in an irregular manner.

Contrary to common belief the most eflicient 5 housings from a standpoint of service under all conditions are not the types which exclude dirt and moisture but the types which most readily rid themselves of such materials. Rain, dirt and insects will accumulate in housings, and it is 10 virtually impossible to keep such matter out unvless the housing be sealed at the opening. The

useof sealed'housings has been found very unsatisfactory from a mechanical standpoint. .It also makes for the loss of the air space insulation between the tube wall and the housing wall where the tube passes the grounded metal of the sign body. Present practice inclines almost entirely to the open end housing with preference tending more and more to the selection of types having the larger openings into the interior of the signs. It has been found that the more generous these internal openings be the less trouble is experienced during wet weather. It appears that when wet the open housing develops a certain electrical .25 leakage. This becomes apparent in the flickering oi the tubes. With well ventilated housings in which there is little place for dirt to accumulate and form muddy masses the "flickering stops soon after wet weather passes and normal service is restored with no permanent damage. Heretofore the necessity of providing a guideway for the contact spring has prevented the use of internal openings suilici'ent to take the fullest advantage of this principle. It is an object of my invention to take the fullest possible advantage of internal-opening into the sign body and to pro-- duce housings in which the minimum of opportunity exists for the lodgement of extraneous matter. 40

It is an object of one species of the invention to provide a housing have a replaceable spring and spring guide assembly to make possible replacements to accommodate diflerent lengths of electrodes. Such housings are useful in connection with shallow sign bodies, and also in connection with special types of electrodes which are longer than common types.

An object of another species of the invention is to provide a spring and spring guide assembly formed integral of a single wire.

I have shown my invention in the accompanying drawings as embodied in several different housing bodies and several diiferent spring constructions. It is to be understood that these forms are largely illustrative and any different combination of body and spring possible from those shown may optionally be used with obvious within the broadest terms ofthe appended claims.

The invention is illustrated in its preferred'embodiments in the accompanying drawings in which the same numeral appearing in more than one view is to be understood as referring to the same or the equivalent part throughout.

Objects additional to those enumerated above will become apparent in the following description.

Figure l is a sectional view through the terminal portion of a luminous tube sign showing a terminal housing made according to my invention in place on a signbody sheeting, connected to a high tension wire and with a tube dectr in position.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the terminal housing shown in Figure l.

Figure3isacrosssectionthroughthespring and guide assembly taken on auplane'parallel withthebodysheetingofthesign. Figure4 is a similar cross section of a modification in which the guide is concaved to tions of the spring.

Figure 5 is an end view of the spring from the free end' showing the manner in which the end of the spring is spiraled to provide a broad contact surface for the electrode cap.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of another type of housing provided with my invention and adapted msewredtothesisnsheetlns wasc e. l Figure '7 is a sectional view through-the upper portion of the housing shown in Figure 6. taken from a. vertical plane through the spring guide and the center line of the housing.

FIgureBisaperspectiveviewofanothe'i-type of housing showing the spring and spring-guide formed integral from a single wire.

Figure 9 isa vertical sectional view of the spring element of the housing shown in Figure 8 taken at a plane through the center line of of the display sm'face formed by the metal' sheetingl. Theendofoneofthetubesoniy is shown. The tube, indicated by 3 terminates intheelectrodelwhichentersthehousingl through the orifice I. In accordance with common practice the metal cap on the end of the electrode is provided to make contact with the spring I2 in the housing. A high tension cable It supported on various insulating posts, one of which is shown and indicated by i i, connects to the binding screw I! to supply current to the tube. Thetubeissupportedfromthesign body by various insulating posts. one of which is shown and indicated by ll. 7

The housing is shown in perspective in Figure flt the convolu mam .2 and is similar to'au open type of simple b ing often used in luminous tube signs. It consists of an annulus 20 provided with flange lugs II and 22 forholding the nuts positioned in the depressions 23 and 24. Screws 25 and 26 pass from the outside. of the sign sheet through suitable holes into the nuts to hold the device to the sign. A rim 21 extends through the sheet to the outside and provides acertainsmall surface insulation between the grounded sign body secured fromthe air space. Therefore-the openings in similar commercial housings are made as generous as is consistent with appearances. This embodiment of the invention is directed to simplicity, light weight, low cost and maximum drainage. The length of the annulus is determined by the air space distance required between open metal and ground. The binding screw i2 is positioned Just beyond this distance from the sheeting and serves to receive the end of the cable and holdthe spring'supporting bar II. The baris bent over at the end to hold the end oi the spring 32. It has a tongued piece 33 pressed from it to form a slide way for the convolutions'lll, 30,'etc., of the spring. 'The end 34 of the tongue is bent backward through the opening from which it was pressed to present an inclined surface to the electrode in case the electrode cap should bear against this piece when being inserted into the housing.

As will be seen in Figure 3, the bar thus forms a four point support for each turn of. the spring, the outer pieces 35 and" being the main stock of theba'r after the tongue has been pressed out. In the modification shown in Figure 4 the bar has been concaved to flt the coils more closely. Figure 5 is a view of the contact end of the spring showing the manner in which it is spiraled to provide a broad contacting area'to meet the electrode cap. I

Housings of the type shown in these views may be adapted to diflerent lengths of electrodes by merely removing the bar and spring assembly and attaching another of a greater or less length.

The housing shown in Figure 6 is of the deepcylinder type provided with a wide side opening. The housing proper consists of the procelain or glass body 31 which has a flange l8 and rim '9 formed to fit down over the body sheeting on the outside of the sign. Screw threads 40 which project into the sign body accommodate a screw flange or still wire clamp member. A hole through the end web 4! accommodates the binding screw 42 which holds the spring I! and the guide 'bar 44. In the cross sectional view through these elements shown in Figure 7 it will be seen that the guide bar consists of a rectangular flat metal strip with one end bent at right angles to extend under the screw head and the other end slanted backward to provide a guide for the electrode cap in the event it is inserted in the housing so as to strike the, strip. In this device the guideway is formed by the strip and the housing wall with only enough clearance for one wire at a time to pass a given point thus preventing the coil from jambing up on itself.

In the housing shown in Figure 8 the annulus II is formed integral with the spring supporting post" of dielectric material such as porcelain or glass. It has flange lugs 65 and 88 for securing it to a sign sheeting in the same fashion as the housing shown in Figure 2. Thespring assembly II is formed integral from a singlespring wire and is held by the binding screw 60. One

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end ofthewlreisformedintheloopllandthen through two parallel straight portions II and I2 which form the guide, then passing through the loop I! and into the spring convolutions l1, l1, etc., and terminating in the'fiat spiral II. A special clamp washer Oi is formed with a turned down rim I whichis notched to fit around the wires and hold the two loops firmly together under the head of the binding screw. The end of the guide-is slanted back to the post wall at II to guide the electrode cap. In this device I elimr inatethe necessity'of forming an extension from the post to the center line of the spring by providing for a firm grip on the first convolution. Repeated tests have shown that springs constructed with any of the types of guides shown herein will operate smoothly, remain true even when the electrode strikes them at sharp angles and are immune from iambing. A properly constructed guide on one side of the spring which prevents the wires from passing each other is entirely adequate for the purpose. While all of face leakage along the porcelain is an important factor.

Housings of the type shown in Figure 8 comblue the advantages of simplicity, low'cost and high'surface resistance. The positioning of the binding screw on the side makes possible the production of a high quality porcelain piece with minimum cost for the function performed. The side screw also reduces the clearance necessary to the opposite sign body sheeting thus making for more compact signs.

In the claims the term binding screw is used in the broad sense of embracing any equivalent fastening means for the spring. The term housing is used in the broad sense of trade usage and is to be understood as embracing any type of insulating bushing, ring or casing used to protect the tubes where they pass through the sign body sheeting. I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A terminal housing for luminous tubes comprising an annulus adapted to be mounted on a sign body sheeting in registry with an openingtherethrough, spring supporting means extending inward with respect tosald body from said annulus, a coil compression spring secured at one end to said supporting means with its free end extending backward toward'and in alignment with the opening through said annulus and terminating in a closing spiral, and guide means for said spring extending lengthwise therewith and therethrough, spring supporting means extend ing inward with respect to said sign body from said annulus and having .a surface extending.

substantially parallel with the axis of said annulus, a coil compression spring secured at one end to said supporting means and extending backward from said end toward and in alignment with the opening through said annulus and close to said surface with its free end terminating in aclosureforsaidspringadaptedtomakecontact with an electrode inserted in said housing whereby to compress said spring, and guide means for said spring extending substantially parallel to said surface near the same and with in the prlncipal convolutions of said coil forming with said surface a guide for said coilvto prevent lateral displacement without preventing compression thereof. I I

3. A terminal housing for luminous tubes comprising an annulus adapted to be mounted on a sign body sheeting in registry with an opening therethrough, spring supporting means extending inward from said annulus with respect to'said body, a binding screw near the end of said supporting means, a coil compression spring secured at one end by said binding screw and extending backward from said end toward and in alignment with the opening through said annulus with its free end terminating in a closure for said spring adapted to make contact with an electrode inserted in said housing whereby to compress said spring, and a guide for said coil spring, secured at one end by said binding screw and extending lengthwise with said spring, along one side thereof and within the principal convolu tions of the coil to restrain the same against laternl displacement without -preventing compression thereof.

4. A terminal housing for luminous tubes comprising anannulus adapted to be mounted on a sign body sheeting in registry with an opening therethrough. spring supporting means extending inward from said annulus with respect to said sign body and having a surface extending substantially parallel with the axis of said annulus, a binding screw near the end of said supporting means, a coil compression spring secured at one end by said binding screw and extending backward from said end toward and in alignment with the opening through said annulus and close to said surface with its free end terminating in a closure for said spring adapted to make contact with an electrode inserted in said housing whereby to compress said spring, and a guide for said spring secured at one end by said binding screw extending close to said surface substantially parallel thereto, along one side of .said

spring and within the principal convolutions thereof.

5. A terminal housing for luminous tubes comprising an annulus adapted to be mounted on a sign body sheeting in alignment with an opening therethrough, spring supporting means integral with said annulus extending inward of said sign body alongside thepassageway for. electrode terminals and having a surface extending substantially parallel with the axis of said annulus to one side thereof, a binding screw on said spring supporting means near the plane of said surface, and a coil compression spring held at one'end by said bindlng'screw and extending backward from said end toward and in alignment with the opening through said annulus with its free end terminating in a closure for said spring adapted to make contact with an electrode inserted in said housing whereby to compress said spring.

6. A terminal housing for luminous tubes comelectrode terminals andhaving a surface extending substantially parallel with the axis oi said annulus to one side thereof, a binding screw on said spring supporting means near the plane of said surface, a coil compression springheld at one end by said binding screw and extending backward from said end toward and in alignment with the opening through said annulus with its free end terminating in a closure for said spring adapted to make contact with an electrode inserted in said housing whereby to compress said spring, and spring guiding means held by said binding screw extending along and inside said spring to one side thereof near said surface of said supporting means and forming therewith a guide for said spring. A i k 7. A terminal housing for luminous tubes comprising an annulus adapted to be mounted on a sign body sheeting in alignment with an opening therethrough, a spring supporting post extending substantially parallel with the axis of "said annulus inward of said sign body therefrom, a binding screw on said post, and a unitary wire structure secured to said post by saidscrew, said wire structure including a convoluted portion forming a coil compression spring extending from said screw back toward the opening through said annulus and in alignment therewith and close to a surface of said post with its i'reeend terminating in a closurei'or said spring adapted to make contact with an electrode inserted in said housing whereby to compress said spring, and a guide portion extending sub-- stantially parallel with said surface of said post close to the same and within the principal convolutions of said spring forming with said post a guide for said spring. v

mam: EDWARD MONTROY; 

